WikiLove is an extension designed to promote the spread of WikiLove within Wikipedia and possibly other wikis. Specifically, it makes adding awards, gifts, and invitations to user talk pages as simple as clicking a few buttons.

The options at the top of defaultOptions.js are some default settings for your convenience. If you omit certain properties from types or subtypes, these defaults will be used (defaultText, defaultBackgroundColor, defaultBorderColor, defaultImageSize, defaultImage). Then there is the list of types. Each type can have the properties name (required) and icon (optional). Furthermore, a type can have a list of subtypes, or not, in which case the additional properties will be assigned to the type itself.

If the type has subtypes, they are listed in an object list subtypes. Optionally, the type can also have the property select, which specifies the label above the dropdown menu. Each subtype can have the following properties:

option - name in the dropdown menu

descr - Description when selecting the subtype

header - Header of the message that is being added, i.e. the part that will be between == ... ==

title - Title of the message box

text - Text of the message box (see below for details)

image - Image of the message box

gallery - Gallery for selecting an image (see below for details)

fields - Array of fields that the user can edit; can contain these values: header, title, image, message

When not using subtypes, these options (except for the first two) need to be added to the type itself.

In the text and email fields (as well as in defaultText, mentioned earlier), you can use a few codes that will be substituted automatically:

$1 - User message

$2 - Title

$3 - Image name

$4 - Image size

$5 - Background color

$6 - Border color

$7 - Username of the recipient

To make it easy for the user to select images, you can create a gallery with predefined images. For this, create a gallery property, which has the following properties:

imageList - An array of image names

width - Maximum width of the images in the gallery (in pixels); for 3 images 145 is recommended

height - Maximum height of the images in the gallery (in pixels)

number - Number of random images to show (optional); if omitted all images are shown

You can use images from Wikimedia Commons, as the default awards do. Like mentioned before, you have to enable InstantCommons for this.

Removing items

If you just want to remove some of the default WikiLove items, you can delete them from the $.wikiLoveOptions object. Here are some examples that you could use in your wiki's MediaWiki:WikiLove.js page:

// Delete the Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar from the barnstars listdelete$.wikiLoveOptions.types.barnstar.subtypes.kindness;// Delete the cheeseburger from the food and drink listdelete$.wikiLoveOptions.types.food.subtypes.cheeseburger;// Delete the kittens interface entirelydelete$.wikiLoveOptions.types.kitten;

Glitches and problems

If the talk page you are attempting to edit contains a word that has been subsequently added to Special:SpamRegex, attempts to use the interface to add a barnstar or other award will fail. This is because the page cannot be edited, as it contains a forbidden word. Removing the word from the page or from the filter will fix the problem.

API Documentation

WikiLove uses a special wikilove API to post messages to users' talk pages.
The API is basically just a thin wrapper around some existing APIs.
If the user's talk page is a Wikitext page, it uses the edit API.
If it's a Flow page, it uses the flow API.
And if it's a LiquidThreads page, it uses the threadaction API.

In order to call the API, use the parameter action=wikilove.

Parameters:

title - Title of the user or user talk page to send WikiLove to (required)

text - Raw wikitext to add in the new section (required)

message - Actual message the user has entered, for logging purposes (doesn't include the image and HTML formatting)

token - Edit token. You can get one of these through prop=info (required)

subject - Subject header of the new page section (required)

type - Type of WikiLove (for statistics); this corresponds with a type selected in the left menu, and optionally a subtype after that (e.g. "barnstar-normal" or "kitten") (optional)

This document describes the design and behavior of the WikiLove system of positive feedback for Wikipedia. This tool is designed to promote the spread of WikiLove within Wikipedia. Specifically, it makes adding awards and gifts to user talk pages as simple as clicking a few buttons.

Rationale

Wikipedia, as a community, has several mechanisms for indicating displeasure or to provide negative feedback to its users. Certain gadgets, such as Twinkle, are heavily engineered towards warning, blocking, and reverting.

Since Wikipedia is in need of positive reinforcement, especially for new users, a system designed specifically and only towards positive feedback is desired.

Use of Whimsical Style

The system has a heavy style of "whimsy" to its design. This is intentional and is intended to align closer to the expectations of users of modern websites. Further, the entire principle of "awards" is in and of itself whimsical (e.g., cookies and kittens).

This style may be abandoned based on user feedback.

Note on Nomenclature

Some template types, such as welcome templates, are not technically "awards".

This document uses the term award interchangeably with template. Since the system is user-focused, and not intended directly for power-users, user-facing nomenclature has been used.

Process

Dialog Behavior

The WikiLove dialog is modal. Initiating it (from anywhere) will cause it to appear over the text of the page. It can be dismissed with a simple click.

The WikiLove system requires Javascript.

The user will initially be presented with a short set of easy-to-understand instructions and a list of available award categories.

Upon selecting an award type, the user is presented with a section in which they can add details to the award (such as a short message).

Note that some award categories (e.g., "cookie") will not have a secondary award creation step and will go directly to "Preview".

The user then clicks the "preview" button, which will load a preview of the award so that they may see how it will look on the user's talk page.

Once the user is satisfied, they may click the "Send WikiLove" button. At this time, AJAX calls to the server API will be fired, adding the template to the user's talk page.

Email Notification

Since most new users are unlikely to be aware that they even have talk pages, they may not be aware that they have received the WikiLove in question.

Accordingly, the server will email the recipient (if they have provided an email address) informing them of the WikiLove as well as short instructions on how to access their talk page.

Site Configuration

Initially, the awards that can be given are to be defined in the gadget itself. If this system is elevated to an extension, then the names of the awards and the templates should be defined in the site's LocalSettings.php.

Alternatively, such information can be stored in the database. An administration console would be required to add or subtract available awards and award categories.

Data Storage

For statistics gathering purposes, every time an award is given, data is tracked and stored in the database. A simple table, written to via the API, is all that need be required:

From User - The username of the person who is giving the award

To User - The username of the person receiving the award

Template - the name of the template awarded

Timestamp - when the award was given

Award Text - Optional; this would be the text of the award

Special:WikiLoveStatistics

In the future, it should be possible to create a page, Special:WikiLoveStatistics, that could be used to see how often the system is used as well as providing insight into who gives the most love, what awards are most popular, and who receives the most awards.

This will help to provide a global overview of community health. The more awards given, the healthier the community.

Future Thinking

Phase two of this project could result in "Send WikiLove" links being dynamically added to signatures on talk pages. This would allow for WikiLove to be sent in a much easier manner, directly from other talk pages.

See also

This extension is being used on one or more Wikimedia projects. This probably means that the extension is stable and works well enough to be used by such high-traffic websites. Look for this extension's name in Wikimedia's CommonSettings.php and InitialiseSettings.php configuration files to see where it's installed. A full list of the extensions installed on a particular wiki can be seen on the wiki's Special:Version page.